Welcome! Dean Forestry Services is a father/son (Covert Dean & Lance Dean) forestry consulting partnership. We are licensed Mississippi Registered Foresters that offer forestry related services to private landowners in a wide range of forest management activities.
Why hire a forestry consultant?
You've watched your forest grow for many years, maybe even generations, so why would you sell it to the first person that offers you something for it? Don't you want to know how much your timber should be worth? Wouldn't you feel more satisfied knowing that you received the highest amount of money for your timber on an open market? Shouldn't this be a very serious matter to you, so much so that you seek professional help from a DISINTERESTED, experienced Mississippi Registered Forester?
WE CAN HELP! WE WORK FOR YOU!
We are Registered Foresters in the state of Mississippi. We have only your interests in mind as we do not work for a company, only you. We don't report to some office in another state. This is a family operated partnership. We do not buy timber - we act as agent for you in the process of advertising and selling your timber. Be very cautious of someone who tells you how much your timber is worth and then offers to buy it!
We traditionally deal with our localized area: Newton, Lauderdale, Scott, Jasper, Neshoba, Leake, Kemper, Smith, and Clarke counties. We are not limited to those counties, however.
At your request, we can perform a cruise of your timber and generate a current inventory of the forest. After advising you of the current estimated value of your timber, we can hold a timber sale via taking bids. The bidding process provides many timber buyers from all around the area a chance to offer what they believe the value of the timber to be, which usually brings a higher price as compared to presenting the timber to only a few select individuals. We maintain a large mailing list and personal relationships with reputable timber buyers to effectively advertise the timber. The bids are opened on a specified date at a specified time, and both you and all bidders and are invited to be present. After opening all bids, we consult with you on the results to make sure the highest offer is satisfactory.
After the closing of the sale, we check on the logging activities to make sure the land and any remaining timber are being protected to the best of the logger's abilities. Afterwards, if you need or desire reforestation, we can help you contact and work with contractors to prepare the land and plant the trees.
We are usually paid by commission at closing on sealed bid sales.
Our main negotiated sales are pine plantation thinnings. By negotiating the sale of your thinning, we can choose a suitable contractor for your particular forest. We find a reputable thinning contractor, show him your forest, and negotiate the best price (usually per ton) for the products to be thinned. We advise you on the contractor and the prices, and then handle the contract between you and the contractor. The contract is a simple document explaining what is expected of the contractor, what is expected of you, and it states the price to be paid to you by product type. We check on the contractor to make sure the job is satisfactory.
We are usually paid by commission on negotiated sales as you receive payments from the contractor.
If you need to know how much your timber is worth, we can appraise your timber.
We also perform estate appraisals for timber basis establishment or future planning.
If your timber has been stolen by someone or damaged by a storm, we can appraise that as well.
We are usually paid either by the acre or by the hour, depending upon the size of the tract and the situation. We do have a reasonable minimum fee.
Forest management includes doing any of the above for you at the appropriate times (with your permission) or at your request. If you want us to manage your forest, you can call on us at any time to check on your timber and advise you on market conditions. We make you aware of any work we do, and no sales occur without all of us signing a work order. The work order states what is expected of us and how much we charge for doing the work. If you need anything done to your property, we will work with you to find the appropriate contractor to get the job done right.
If you are an absentee landowner, having local Foresters like us can be vital in keeping an eye on your forestry investment. Many of our forest management clients are local, but there are just as many that live far away.
Need advice, unsure of what to do with your forest? We can help.
There is no annual fee for forest management - we are paid by the jobs as stated above.
Are you in need of a Forester to look over your timberland just to advise on its condition as well as current or future needs? We can do that.
We do charge a reasonable minimum fee for inspections and advisement.
"The Foresters Registration Law of 1977 defines the practice of forestry to include consultation, investigation, evaluation, valuation, planning, and silviculture and harvest recommendations. Any person offering forestry services to the public must be licensed.
By law, no person may refer to himself as a forester; nor may any person sell, advertise or otherwise promote his services as a professional forester in Mississippi, without being duly registered (licensed) by the State Board of Registration for Foresters."
- Mississippi Board of Registration for Foresters FAQ - What is a "forester"?
This webpage was last updated on 3/1/2023.
